“The Aviation Foundation” of aviation industry lobbyists launches UK-wide pro-flights campaign asserting massive benefits to UK from flying

Date added: 21 November, 2012

An aviation group, (BA, Virgin and MAG) called the Aviation Foundation has set up and launched a campaign to highlight to MPs the alleged economic benefits of the UK aviation business. Its “Great British Flying Test ” aims to “promote the importance of aviation to local economies” – which is barely surprising, seeing which companies are its backers. The study – as usual – ignores inconvenient facts, such as the tourism deficit (the net outflow of money, and indirectly jobs) from the UK due to the spending by Brits on holidays abroad. It also includes the number of jobs in aerospace, along with jobs in air travel, and it makes out that aviation has a uniquely important role in supporting other jobs. Any other sector could, likewise, inflate the alleged amount of economic impact it has. The Aviation Foundation produces statements such as that the aviation industry “directly employs 220,000 people” [this figure is utterly wrong – see below it is actually around 120,000 ] and aviation supports workers in Bed & Breakfasts across the UK etc etc.

Aviation chiefs launch UK-wide pro-flights campaign

21.11.2012 (TravelMole)

UK aviation chiefs have joined forces to launch a widescale public awareness campaign to highlight the importance of flights to local economies.

Posters are to be displayed at airports showing how many jobs and services are dependent on air services and local MPs will be sent bespoke mailings with local authority figures showing how many people are employed directly and indirectly by the aviation industry in their area.

The Aviation Foundation, set up by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Heathrow and Manchester Airport parent MAG, claims aviation directly employs 220,000 people in the UK [this figure is utterly wrong – see below ] and thousands of businesses depend on the services provided by this workforce.

As part of its new Great British Flying Test public awareness campaign, it made a film in Carlisle, the town furthest away from a major international airport, to show how even here “a striking number of people” rely on aviation. Carlisle is about 80 miles from Glasgow airport and 256 miles north of Heathrow.

The film will be shown on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights from January and a link to the film will be included in the mailings sent to MPs. Over the next few weeks, the same information will be sent to Peers and local authority CEOs and other influential figures.

The Aviation Foundation claims that goods worth £60bn were exported by air last year, almost 3m people work in tourism, a sector heavily dependent on air travel, and some 3.7m people in the Uk are employed by foreign-owned companies dependent on good air links.

Willie Walsh of BA parent IAG, Colin Matthews of Heathrow, Charlie Cornish of MAG and Steve Ridgway of Virgin Atlantic said in a joint statement: “Local businesses across the UK desperately need world-class air links. Britain has been a proud pioneer in aviation but we are in danger of taking this for granted and falling behind our better-connected competitors.

“We want to see a greater number of politicians championing aviation. Our Great British Flying Test campaign will be showing them how many of their constituents’ jobs depend on aviation and we look forward to discussing the results with them in the run-up to the next election.”

http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2004026&c=setreg&region=2

Here is the first document of the campaign –

http://www.e-tid.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Aviation-campaign-Nov-2012.pdf

It is rubbish because

1. It excludes the tourist deficit.

2. The employment figures include aerospace.

3. Exactly the same argument about the benefit to thousands of firms who depend on air transport could be made for the thousands of firms which depend on road transport, railways, telephones, computers, water etc.

And

Airlines unite in campaign to show value of aviation

Nov 21, 2012 (Travel Weekly)

A campaign to highlight to MPs the economic benefits of the UK aviation business is launched today.

The Great British Flying Test aims to promote the importance of aviation to local economies and is backed by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Heathrow and Manchester Airports Group.

The campaign includes a film made in Carlisle – the town furthest away from a major international airport – showing how even here a “striking number” of local people rely on aviation. Carlisle is 80 miles from Glasgow, 108 miles from Manchester and 256 from Heathrow.

Analysis carried out by lobby group the Aviation Foundation backed by the four airlines and airport operating groups shows that the aviation industry directly employs 220,000 people nationally [this figure is utterly wrong – see below ] but it is the thousands of businesses, from factories to B&Bs, which depend on the services provided by this workforce.

The study found that in the UK:

Goods worth £60 billion were exported by air last year.
Almost 3 million people work in tourism, a sector heavily reliant on air travel and international visitors.
Some 3.7 million people are employed by foreign-owned companies dependent on good air links for location and trade.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA owner International Airlines Group; Colin Matthews, chief executive of Heathrow; Charlie Cornish, chief executive of MAG; and Steve Ridgway, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, came together to say: “Local businesses across the UK desperately need world-class air links.

“Britain has been a proud pioneer in aviation but we are in danger of taking this for granted and falling behind our better-connected competitors.

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2012/11/21/42344/airlines-unite-in-campaign-to-show-value-of-aviation.html

The 220,000 jobs claim:

The ONS data (based on the 2009 Annual Business Survey) shows 120,000 jobs in UK aviation, down from 200,000 jobs 10 years ago. Rather than accept this, DfT has tried to muddy the waters by adding aerospace to the aviation sector. The UK aerospace industry (manufacturing, including avionics and aero engines) employed 100,000 people in the UK in 2009 but many of these jobs were in the military rather than the civilian sector (ONS doesn’t provide that breakdown). In any event, it’s disingenuous for DfT to include these manufacturing jobs in the UK aviation sector. DfT hasn’t done this in the past and it seems to have changed its definition of UK aviation simply to hide the fact that there has been a 40% reduction in the number of jobs in the sector over the past 10 years. (You can check the numbers by looking at paragraphs 2.2 and 2.5 of the Draft Aviation Policy Framework (http://assets.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-35/draft-aviation-policy-framework.pdf ) and following the footnote references provided therein.

Comment from one AirportWatch member:

There was a great deal more lying on display at tonight’s meeting between Heathrow Ltd (as BAA now call themselves) and the residents of Richmond. Apparently they are not campaigning for a third runway! They say the nation must decide between not expanding Heathrow which – they allege – would inevitably lead to the complete collapse of the economy within a fortnight; building a new hub airport which would lead to the inevitable closure of Heathrow or a third runway. Rising house prices in West London – they alleged – are all due to its proximity to the airport. It was also clear that complaints about increased aircraft noise caused by the “freedom operational trial” were not being taken seriously.

This was supposed to be a bridge-building exercise between Heathrow and its neighbours. It was an unimpressive performance There’s more chance of peace between Israel and Palestine.

This is what the Aviation Foundation website‘s About Us page says:

About Us

The Aviation Foundation promotes the vital economic and social impact of aviation to the UK

A non-profit organisation unaffiliated to any political party, the Aviation Foundation has been established by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, BAA and Manchester Airports Group. It is supported by the Airport Operators Association and the British Air Transport Association who represent all of the UK’s airports and airlines. The Aviation Foundation exists to ensure that the benefits of aviation are not taken for granted.

Our mission

We aim to ensure that the benefits of aviation are not taken for granted.

The Aviation Foundation celebrates what is best about air travel.

In every parliamentary constituency, city and community, aviation brings goods to our shops, performers to our festivals, sports stars to our stadiums, art to our galleries, tourists to our attractions, and most importantly family and friends together.

The Aviation Foundation champions the voters, neighbours and colleagues whose jobs depend on aviation.

Not simply jobs in aerospace, air travel and tourism but those in sectors as diverse as medical research, hi-tech manufacturing, car production and overseas aid, whose reliance on aviation has been overlooked for too long.

The Aviation Foundation actively seeks parliamentary and public support to recognise the fact that aviation is a UK success story.

We promote aviation’s critical role in supporting UK economic growth because a successful aviation industry means a successful Britain.